Tribulation
by Pneumonia
Summary: When one event causes another of terrible consequence, what is left to be done? NaLu "That moment frozen in time had been perfect – until it was fractured away into fragments as his smile turned into a horrible scream." (Spoiler Warning: Read only if caught up to manga Chapter 402) Now Complete.
1. Dread

**Welcome to the two-shot I decided to make because I am totally in obsessed over Fairy Tail at the moment- especially the E.N.D. Theory. As you can guess this is set right now in the manga's Tartarus Arc, currently at Chapter 402.**

**SPOILER WARNING: DO NOT READ IF NOT UP TO DATE WITH THE MANGA**

**Now that that's out of the way, I'm saying right now that this is a TWO-SHOT, unless otherwise changed. I say that because there is a 1% I may continue it after, but no promises.**

**Pneumonia**

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><p>Lucy didn't know what it was that made her do it.<p>

Maybe it was the madness that came with a near-death experience, or gaining a new power, or the fact that not one but two dragons were fighting a battle worthy of gods in the sky. That's why when she no longer had the strength to move she did the first thing that came to mind.

She kissed him.

It wasn't long or passionate or worthy of any decent romance novel- but somehow her heart fluttered and jumped and the world spun. She was so terrified and absolutely frightened about the events that had passed and the ones yet to come that her emotions took charge and did something she could only describe as tragic.

She had given Natsu a farewell kiss.

It was a farewell that she didn't realize until he pulled away from her with his trademark smile, looking at her with the same love and tenderness he always did. That moment frozen in time had been perfect – until it was fractured away into fragments as his smile turned into a horrible scream. A shrill scream of the tortured and the dying, a scream Lucy would have never dreamt to leave Natsu's mouth, as she didn't realize Natsu wasn't quite Natsu anymore.

That's when she noticed Mard Geer, looking beaten and dishevelled, as he lied on the ground with a cruel smile plastered across his face. His broken laugh began then, breaking the stillness left behind from the scream. Lucy knew that he had lost- that Natsu had defeated him and stolen the book of E.N.D. – but that didn't seem to matter in the slightest.

Lucy's heart stopped beating when she looked what lay on the ground, only a foot away from where she stood. Natsu was holding that cursed object when she kissed him, and of course of all the circumstances in this world _she_ happened to be the only one that would make him forget something Igneel even warned him about.

When she kissed him he dropped the book of E.N.D. Not only did he drop it- the book of Zeref's strongest demon opened.

Lucy didn't have any explanation for what was happening, but somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind she _knew_ that that very book should have never been allowed to exist, lest open because of her. That's what made her cry. She had caused this, even though she didn't know what was happening – all she knew is she did something unforgivable.

Therefore when Igneel thundered his displeasure in a fearsome dragon's roar, she wasn't surprised. Not even when he completely abandoned the fight with Achnologia to dive towards Natsu, the name booming from the dragon's maw in despair.

Mard Geer's laughs never faded throughout all of this, seemingly only growing in pitch as the seconds past as he stared at Natsu.

Kneeling on the ground, head in his hands and shaking, Natsu looked just as he had when Achnologia arrived. However, as Lucy dropped to her knees herself, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was _so_ much worse. She crawled to him as fast as she could manage, trying to determine just what that book had done to him. Around them, Lucy felt the air still as everyone watched what was unfolding- whether they were friend or foe.

As she was mere inches away, his body set aflame like he usually did in battle- but this felt so much different. Lucy scrambled back in panic when suddenly Natsu screamed once more, as if his own flames were burning him. She couldn't believe it – that was impossible. He tore his hands from his head and stared clawing his arms and neck, scratching away the material and skin as Lucy noticed in shock that his nails were growing. Not just growing, they were elongating themselves as well as sharpening, turning once so gentle hands into those that contained claws.

Lucy didn't know what to do. She could only watch, merely a foot away as his burning body clawed upon itself, birthing scratches and gashes glowing with crimson liquid. It didn't stop there; next those terrible claws went for his head brushing throughout the rose-coloured hair. Lucy wanted to scream herself, to tell Natsu to stop, to do _anything_ to stop was happening- but her voice died in her throat as her eyes stopped processing what she was seeing.

From the roots of Natsu's pink locks did two obsidian horns emerge, finally explaining to Lucy in a second what was going on- even if she didn't understand it.

Natsu was E.N.D.

Confused, she scrambled a few more feet away, the heat from his fire finally taking its effect on her barren skin, lightly burning and peeling it in places. Still unable to tear her eyes from the scene unfolding in front of her, Lucy watched as his self-inflicted bloodied gashes turned black and spiralled much like flames across his exposed skin.

Finally breaking from her reverie, Lucy remembered she now had the powers of her beloved friend, Aquarius, and like hell she _wasn't_ going to use them. Summoning magic from a place where none should have been left; she sent a pathetic wave towards Natsu. The water sizzled and steamed, but all that was left after the ordeal were the flames, no trace of the liquid anywhere.

That's when time caught up to Lucy, and Igneel landed fiercely on the ground, sending tremors out for miles. With a claw he hurriedly snatched up the book of E.N.D., however it did little to halt Natsu's transformation. For a third time he screamed, the skull jacket he currently wore tearing as onyx wings sprouted from his back, resembling those much like a dragon.

Then finally the flames died down, leaving an Etherious in the place of her Natsu. Not just any Etherious- E.N.D. or as she now realized- Etherious Natsu Dragneel.


	2. Decision

**Ok well, I'm back in a weeks time for this update- yay! I kept to a schedule! Now, to whomever is currently reading this, to your joy or disappointment I've decided this fic is going to have at least ONE MORE CHAPTER.  
><strong>

**I REPEAT: THIS WILL AT LEAST BE A THREE-SHOT.  
><strong>

**As you can probably tell, I'm trying for weekly updates so we'll see how long that lasts. It turns out I'm liking this concept a lot more then I thought (which was a lot to begin with) and even though I know how I want it to end, I've decided it's going to take longer to get there. Hence becoming a longer fic. Enough of my rambling, however I am sorry in advance for the cliffhanger I am leaving you with.  
><strong>**Pneumonia**

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><p>Gray couldn't believe his eyes. Or his ears. In fact, he couldn't believe any other sense that was functioning right now for one very reason.<p>

He didn't want to believe what his own senses told him.

Like pieces to puzzle he understood, but his still refused to get his head around what just might be his undoing. After all, he didn't know whether it was the screams, the claws, the horns or the wings that first caught his attention because the only thing he could remember was the last thing his dad ever said to him.

"_E.N.D. is a flame demon_."

The thought, like a mantra, kept repeating in Gray's head as he watched the spectacle before him, as frozen as his magic to react in any way possible. He had been so certain, so devastated and so full of revenge that he swore he would be the one to destroy E.N.D. with the Ice Devil Slayer Magic his dad gave him in his last dying breath and yet… now all Gray could think was – why him?

Why did the responsibility of killing his closest friend rely on _him_?

The days long ago that consisted of group jobs and friendly rivalries all seemed like a dream compared to this agonizing reality. Gray had guessed, somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, that no matter what they would always be the victors, make it out alive with a happy ending. After all, their guild was Fairy Tail – the guild that obeyed no one and never gave up – the guild that nurtured dreams and stood for all that was good in this world.

That's the very reason why Gray never considered that maybe for once in his life the thing he wanted most could also be his biggest regret.

Anger and despair swirled in his mind, clouding his thoughts to the point where he wished he could just close his eyes and shut his senses from the events currently happening. But he couldn't. Gray knew that. Somehow he knew this very moment in time would be a factor in the future of many people, good or bad, and greatly influence upcoming events.

Despite that, all he could remember is his father's final goodbye and the promise he swore to fulfil. Gray was torn between two loyalties he neither wanted to break nor keep.

After all, how could _Natsu_ be E.N.D.? The Natsu he knew since he was a kid, the one he laughed, bathed, learned, fought and played with- how could _he_ be a demon over four hundred years old? Not even just _any_ demon- _Zeref's strongest demon_?

Absentmindedly as the last of the screams rang in his ears, his left hand traced over the mark the Ice Devil Slayer Magic made on his right arm.

_I might be one of the only people capable of killing E.N.D._

The thought shook his being to the very core, knowing he could be the other outstanding factor in all of this whose responsibility it falls onto in the end to make the ultimate decision.

With all Gray's heart he wanted to avenge his dad's suffering and honour his memory by killing the demon his father vowed to but was never given the chance. Even so, Gray didn't know if he would be able to kill a friend all the same.

It was Igneel that finally snapped Gray from his thoughts, alerting him that this was no time to _think_ but to _act_. As the ground shook with Igneel's hasty landing Gray bounded closer to Natsu- or should he say E.N.D.- where Lucy also kneeled with tears streaking down her guilt-ridden face.

As he reached her, he was about to ask what exactly happened to see if there was any way to reverse it- because as Gray thought about it more, he realized as long as Natsu was Natsu there was _no_ E.N.D. and he considered that just as good as dead if it meant he didn't have to kill a friend. But, he never got the chance.

Achnologia- of all the things could have happened this very moment- dove towards them with a fearsome roar. A shockwave thundered throughout the immediate area and both Gray and Lucy were thrown a few feet further back with the force.

As Gray recovered as quickly as possible, he was only able to catch a glance of Natsu getting up to face Achnologia's oncoming assault as Lucy groaned in pain next to him, and Gray noticed she had landed wrongly on her arm, most likely breaking the bone. He cursed silently, knowing that there were too many things happening at once for these events to _not_ be considered a stream of chaos.

Just as Gray turned to look back towards Achnologia and Natsu, he watched as Natsu used his newly received wings to bound into the air that caused another shockwave of the same strength. However, this time, Gray managed to keep himself and Lucy grounded by using his ice to bind them in place.

No matter, he could only stare in awe as the Dragon and Demon collided with a force so strong the ground beneath them began crumbling and shifting. Once again Gray shielded himself from debris, and when he looked back he couldn't believe what he saw.

The very fact of having been trapped on Tenroujima for seven years because of Achnologia seemed preposterous to him now, as he watched the very same dragon shriek in pain one of it's wings was sliced clean off. Gray didn't know how that was possible; much less believe that it was Natsu whom had done it.

That was the event that finally convinced Gray that E.N.D. really was Zeref's _strongest_ demon, as well as the fact that somehow Natsu was E.N.D.

The cold chill of realisation finally took over his senses as it settled into his bones. Even with his newfound magic, Gray couldn't ever believe to defeat a demon that could do _that_ to Achnologia in one hit.

He numbly registered the terrible roar that shook the air as Achnologia tumbled towards the earth. Igneel leapt once more into the sky, done so more carefully than should have been possible as a breeze was the only factor towards warning Gray of the Fire Dragon's ascent. Upwards Igneel rose, sending a torrent of flame directly into Achnologia's flailing form.

Another terrible roar sounded incredibly pained, and Gray assumed it was once again Achnologia making those terrible sounds. Although Gray couldn't see anything but darkened forms through the massive torrent of flames engulfing the air above him, he had a feeling Igneel would handle the rest. He also couldn't be more grateful- despite how it had occurred- to see the terrible black dragon pay for its crimes against everyone he held dear.

Sighing, he just managed to refocus his attention as Natsu dropped fiercely to the ground causing another shockwave to tremor throughout the earth. Even from the distance at which the pink-haired Etherious stood, Gray could see the red tainted skin and claws dripping crimson onto the lifeless earth. Behind the form, a thunderous boom occurred as a black wing fell onto the earth.

A shiver ran-through Gray's body as he saw the once so-charming smile the dragon-slayer wore was now tainted with malice and flashing canines in a dreadful way Gray never imagined to see on his friend's face. As Natsu shifted the angle in which he stood, Gray finally saw his eyes. Despite the shivers wracking Gray's frame, a deep chill settled in his bones as he managed to see the very manifestation of immorality reflected in Natsu's onyx orbs.

Gray gripped his fist and let loose a breath he'd been holding. The figure ahead of him was not Natsu, even though it wore his face. It was no longer the friend he had hoped it was, it was no longer the rival he used to quarrel with. It was no longer his best friend that stood before him.

He had made his decision. He had decided his loyalty. He would be the one to save them all from the threat that they now encountered.

As he began to stand up, Lucy looked towards him as if pleading with her eyes for him to bring Natsu back. Gray knew how she felt. There was nothing in the world he wanted more at the moment then to see his best friend in the place of the demon that now wore Natsu's body like a disguise.

But alas, Gray felt it, a dread like no other take its place deep in his heart as its new home. In that dread a thought was buried that Gray didn't want to believe, but all the while he had a feeling he couldn't change it. This thought contained the solution to his current predicament. It told him that there was only one way to bring Natsu back.

Tears stung his eyes and they dripped from his face onto the ground below. There was no other way. He was the one given the responsibility by his father. He would keep his promise. He would do what was right.

He had to kill E.N.D.

… Even if it meant killing Natsu Dragneel.


	3. Fear

**Yay I stuck to a week! (Although it was considerably difficult due to the fact of school and this weekend being Thanksgiving weekend.) Anyway, I just realized the past two chapters [including this third one] could be classified as different POVs from the same chapter... so if you think about it like that the "first chapter" is now finished and the NEXT CHAPTER is really gonna become more distinguished.  
><strong>

**MEANING: THIS IS NOW A MULTI-CHAPTER STORY.**

**Now shit is gonna get real... in terms of what happens next (if all of this seemed boring to you so far).  
>Pneumonia<strong>

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><p>Pain was nothing new to Natsu. But, somehow that all changed when the world was torn from his fingertips and the shards that remained became a blur. No sooner than the second he felt the Book of E.N.D. drop from his hand, he felt as if he were enveloped by a trance.<p>

Agony clawed as his very state of mind and suddenly he was _burning_ – a sensation completely different from the fire he manipulated – the pinpricks of pain so sharp he couldn't describe it as anything other then ancient and foreign. But even so, it felt somehow familiar. A presence accompanied the pain, influencing his trance-like state and began slowly ebbing away at Natsu's consciousness.

Subconsciously he felt _its_ thoughts, and couldn't help but want to greet this new presence as an old friend. He didn't understand what was happening. Thoughts he didn't remember thinking flashed before his eyes, describing memories he had no recollection of experiencing. The presence whispered into Natsu's ears telling him little nothings until Natsu couldn't distinguish what was reality and what was only in his head.

It wasn't until the pain stopped that he remembered to breathe, each new breath feeling as if a little piece of himself was suddenly _changed_, like he was waking up from a dream he never realized was such. A veil draped over his sense of being, blurring all that Natsu knew made him who he was. Piece by piece he began to forget the things he never thought he would, the same way a dream was never remembered after waking up. The shards scattered relentlessly as he metaphorically reached after them with all his might – but soon enough they were all gone leaving nothing left to cling to but the names that no longer held a meaning.

_Igneel. Lucy. Erza. Gray. Happy. Fairy Tail._

That's all he was able to lock away in the deepest recesses of his mind before it was torn from him. However, he no longer knew what each one meant. He guessed they were the names of people or things he desperately tried to remember, but failed all the same. The sense of loss that overcame him was immense and capable of drowning out the rest of the pain that ebbed away at his remaining strength.

His vision suddenly cleared as he opened his eyes to the world around him, unsurprised to find himself kneeling on the ground with his head in his hands. What he didn't expect to see was a blonde girl kneeling in front of him, tears in her eyes as she desperately called his name.

_Who was she? Why was she crying?_

He shifted his gaze downwards towards himself where he saw his hands, stained by red and adorned with claws. He couldn't remember if they were supposed to look like that, but a feeling told him that they shouldn't. He carefully brought his hands to his face, inspecting them further before a tremor shook the earth and caught his attention. Snapping his gaze towards the origin of the tremor, the sight of the enormous dragon didn't register as anything more then confusion.

_Why does this creature seem familiar?_

He carefully watched as the crimson dragon grabbed for an object a few feet away, and as soon as the talons skimmed the edges a burning rage engulfed Natsu like no other. He didn't understand as to why, but the feeling was so strong he wanted nothing more then to destroy the dragon that held whatever it was in its ginormous claws.

Pain seared once more through him, causing him to feel the horrid scream tear from his throat like a knife. His back burned and suddenly he felt two new appendages in the pain, a feeling that was somehow incredibly familiar. As it faded he observed his surroundings once more, momentarily forgetting the scarlet dragon that had taken something precious from him.

The girl in front of him was still crying, although she looked somewhat horrified as she scrambled backwards slightly. Natsu thought that was odd until a voice reverberated throughout his entire being, its influence parallel to no other.

_**Kill. Them. All.**_

Through what it seemed like instinct alone, he suddenly felt the desire to do exactly what the thought told him. He stood up just as another roar shook the air around him, this time caused by a different dragon, its identifying nature being the black of its scales. The influence of the thought still held, the primal instinct taking over his entire being and before he thought, he lashed out at the black dragon that had caused the disturbance.

_**You. Will. Pay.**_

Those were the only words Natsu processed before he realized he was soaring through the air as his fingertips dripped with the blood of the black dragon. He heard its pain as it desperately tried to stay airborne with one of its wings missing. Natsu felt his lips twitch upwards. He couldn't help but feel satisfied at seeing such a daunting creature scramble through the air due to him.

Once again the crimson dragon made its appearance, directing itself towards the other of its kind. Some of Natsu's anger had been relieved, but it reared up once more at the sight of talon that held something Natsu didn't know. Just as he was about to attack the red dragon as he had the previous, pain seared in his mind.

_**No!**_

The thought thoroughly confused Natsu for a second and allowed the red dragon to send a barrage of flames towards him. Despite that, Natsu was already falling back towards the earth as he attempted to contemplate the outburst in his thoughts. He slammed into the ground with disregard and decided to be furious at himself for getting distracted once more at something so trivial.

He looked around at his surroundings, noticing the blonde-haired girl cradling her arm alongside a black-haired male. Looking at them stirred a hopeless struggle from the back of his mind, remnants of something that was clawing and attempting to reach the forefront of his mind. Natsu felt like he should know who they were, although the wisp of doubt disappeared as fast as it came.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a lonesome figure stand from its position on the floor. A look of pure respect shone through the face of the man as he proceeded to bow towards Natsu.

"I welcome you back, Master E.N.D.," said the black haired man; "I am Mard Geer, at your service."

The name "E.N.D." rang through Natsu's ears as if he should know it, and he vaguely felt that he did, although he couldn't place the memory. The male on the other hand, interested Natsu not, and before he understood what he was doing he had acted.

_**He mocks you. He need not exist.**_

Just as the words were thought, they were fulfilled as synonymously as a command that could not be betrayed. The Etherious called Mard Geer had barely blinked before his head rolled off his shoulders to watch his body collapse as a corpse.

Natsu's eyes gleamed with contempt at the head on the ground. Its eyes stared upwards into his own, still mocking him even in death. A presence interrupted his thoughts, alerting Natsu that someone was foolish enough to go near him.

As he spun towards the presence he realized its owner was the other black-haired male from before, the one he thought he should have known. The very act of thinking such seemed preposterous to Natsu now, as he stared at the walking dead.

_**Crush him. **_


	4. Mercy

**Another weekly update! I have to say I'm very proud of myself considering that I may be the very incarnation of procrastination. Due to that, the longer chapter I had hoped to write didn't happen by this deadline, so it is the usual chapter length for this story. Enjoy another chapter in Gray's point of view!  
><strong>

**Pneumonia**

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><p>Gray didn't know how to react. He had already established that he had to fight Natsu, the Natsu he knew and had grown to love as a rival and friend – but that still didn't prepare him for what he just witnessed.<p>

Achnologia had been one thing, an action that barely registered in his mind other then a whim, as at the time he was still attempting to comprehend the happenings around him. But as his thoughts had settled and he steeled himself for a job he believed only he could do – the reality finally sunk in as he felt _pity_ when the head of enemy fell towards the ground in such a simplistic motion.

Gray wanted to feel relieved at Mard Geer's demise – as he had felt with Achnologia's injury – but alas the cruelty of the situation denied himself even that simple pleasure. Therefore as he stood to face the beast that wore the mask of his best friend, he no longer saw any hope of salvation.

Natsu's once warm eyes had now steeled themselves into something wicked and bloodthirsty, intensified by the malice shown in even the simplest of smiles. Gray's rage soared throughout his veins at the dishonour this being brought to the memory of Natsu, and now more then ever did Gray want to extinguish the existence of such a _creature_.

_That's right_, Gray thought, _This is no longer Natsu. This _is_ E.N.D._

The cold that his magic brought manifested in his hands, prepared the follow any command he gave at a moments notice. Thankfully, because not even a moment later the friend he now identified as E.N.D. turned towards Gray, actually acknowledging him for the first time since what Gray deemed as the "transformation".

Their eyes met and Gray was shocked to see no hint of recognition anywhere on the face of his foe. Gray supposed that this made things somewhat easier, as he wouldn't have to worry about hesitating when he faced those eyes in battle. Breathing deeply, he deeply hoped the magic he gained from his father would be enough, because even though Gray didn't want to admit it – there was no way his usual magic would make any difference against E.N.D. Not when he had attacked Achnologia in one fell swoop and killed Mard Geer effortlessly. E.N.D. was on a completely different level then everyone.

Then, as quick as a blink of the eye, the Etherious stood before him with a clawed hand positioned underneath Gray's chin. Gray couldn't breathe. In a momentary panic, ideas flashed throughout his mind during milliseconds, attempting to comprehend the current situation whilst he watched his own movements in slow motion.

It took a full second for his magic to take effect and create something. Since Gray knew this, he also knew that he had to defend himself before this second was up. Or else… he might just end up as Mard Geer. Obliviously defeated and irreversibly dead.

As Gray twisted sideways he brought his elbow upwards in defence. The frost of his magic tingled, and just as he swiped the appendage towards E.N.D.'s head the ice materialized. The Etherious didn't look bothered in the slightest as the ice blade glanced across the air where E.N.D.'s head had just been. He had shifted backwards in the slightest in order to avoid the blow. However, the claws also positioned at Gray's neck shifted with this motion allowing the immediate threat to be neutralized.

Despite that, Gray vaguely felt as if the monster before him was simple testing him, playing with him the way a predator does its prey. It angered him even further. Spurring on his attack further, Gray let the momentum of his arm carry himself downwards as he brought up his opposite leg for another assault. The second his hand hit the ground, his foot swung rapidly towards E.N.D.'s head. He wasn't expecting impact, therefore when the attack jarred the bone in his foot as it was forced to a stop he almost lost his balance.

From Gray's upside-down position, he was just able to make out that his attack had been halted by the Etherious' forearm. Suddenly realizing how dangerous this situation had become with his impulsive attack, the Ice Devil Slayer quickly attempting to once again stand upright. It was in that moment that he realized his attack had not only been _stopped_, but that E.N.D. had also managed to grip his ankle.

No sooner then the words were thought, he found himself airborne and sprawling in some unknown direction. He registered he was thrown; albeit very hard for the amount of time he had to actually process it. Without warning, he suddenly felt his back impact, sending a jolt throughout his spine. It was enough to immobilize him for a second as he dropped to the floor.

Upon regaining his senses, he realized he had crashed into a large remain of the Cube. As Gray rose to his feet, he spotted E.N.D. walking casually towards him without any worry whatsoever. In fact, Gray swore he saw the Etherious smile.

Gray panted as he once again readied himself to use his magic. He was already spent from the fight with his father, and now, even with the Ice Devil Slayer Magic to aid him, he felt the effects start to take its toll. Breathing deeply, he waited for E.N.D. to attack.

Immediately, the demon was once again on the offence approaching Gray with too much speed for the Ice Mage to prepare a suitable defence. Despite this, Gray managed to avoid the incoming attack by E.N.D. as its claws tore at the space his head had previously occupied. Gray felt a sudden ice-cold rush in his veins, fuelling his depleted energy like liquid adrenaline.

Before even Gray contemplated his attack, he angled himself sideways to the Etherious and sent a right hook directly into the demon's face. However, as Gray soon realized- this wasn't just any right hook- the tattoo in his arm seared as he felt it pulse with pure undiluted magic. The effect was instantaneous as the frost froze the very air in its immediate vicinity, effectively surprising E.N.D.

The blast that followed was so strong Gray was thrown back even though he was the one delivery the attack. He managed to stay grounded as the frost faded from the air and his former friend was sent flying. He dared let a soft grin spread across his face at the thought of actually standing a chance against the demon.

Be that as it may be, the surrounding air suddenly _pulsed_ with a force similar to a heat wave, blurring reality for half a second. That was when Gray managed to catch a glimpse of E.N.D. abruptly stopping his soaring form after only five feet. Gray didn't realize how that was possible until the _wings_ registered, and each beat causing a surge of scorching air to engulf those in the contiguous vicinity.

After two bursts did this stop as the Etherious had neglected the use of his wings for the reassurance of solid earth. However, in the flicker of an instant did the demon vanish from sight, the only trace of his former presence being the third burst of blistering heat that cascaded throughout the expanse.

It wasn't until he glimpsed the faint shadow engulfing him that Gray thought to look _up._ There the Etherious was suspended above him, like a bird stalking its lunch. The view lasted no more then a second as suddenly Gray felt a searing pain across his left side, the result of a large gash imprinted across his bare torso.

Gray was dumbfounded at the attack that he hadn't even _sensed_ let alone defended against. He staggered slightly on his feet, the pain causing black spots to appear in front of his eyes. Willing himself to focus, he examined the severity of the gash as quickly as he could.

The wound was fairly deep, but not potentially fatal if the blood flow was stopped. He quickly manipulated his ice to cover the wound while freezing it shut. The intended effect did as he hoped as well as having numbed some of the pain.

Alert once more, Gray saw E.N.D. standing just a slight ways away. Precariously, Gray readied himself once more for an attack – when the demon did something so revolting psychotic that Gray couldn't help but cringe.

E.N.D. had licked the bloodied claw that pieced him while flashing the former Dragon Slayer's canines wickedly. That's when the whisper was uttered, managing to sound nauseatingly similar to Natsu's voice. Gray only managed to hear it because he had no doubt in his mind it was directed to him.

"You should humour me while you're at my mercy."

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><p><strong>P.S. Review by Oct 21st at 3pm (Eastern Time) whether I should use NatsuE.N.D. or Lucy POV for the next chapter. I will take the majority. If it's a tie or regretfully none, I will use what I see fit. ;)**


	5. Resolve

**I know- you're shocked. I ACTUALLY updated early. This is due to the fact I managed to actually complete this chapter a couple days ago, and was planning to write the next one when I realized I should let you guys decide on the point of view again! Anyway, speaking of point of views- Lucy's won out this time! Enjoy this early update, however still expect updates on Mondays.  
>Pneumonia<strong>

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><p>When battles became those no longer of men but of demons and slayers and dragons alike, Lucy knew that she would have no place interfering, especially in her weakened state. Even if it meant watching two friends battle in a potential fight to the death.<p>

_Friends_, she thought, _if Natsu gets out of this- are we still considered friends or are we something more?_

Scolding her mind for thinking something so trivial at a moment like this, she glanced once again at what Natsu now was - E.N.D. The obsidian horns embedded in his skull along with the onyx wings sprouting from his back was enough to make Lucy want to look away, so she could cherish the memories she had in favour of these new ones. But she forced herself to look anyway, not only to keep an eye on the fight but to tell herself she could bear this because they _all_ had to.

Little did Lucy know was that Gray wasn't just trying to stop Natsu- he was trying to kill him. If Lucy knew she probably would have screamed and pleaded with her heart on her sleeve, desperately looking for a way to defy fate and make things work out in the end no matter the odds.

Despite that, she watched with tear-filled eyes as the Ice Devil Slayer and Zeref's strongest demon fought for what might be the last fight of their lives.

The blows were fierce even though they lasted no longer then a second each. In fact, sometimes the attacks or movements were so fast Lucy didn't even catch until after they happened, thoroughly awing and terrifying her perhaps even more so than the battle of the two dragons off in the distance.

Her arm screamed in agony as she shifted it into a more comfortable position due to the fact that she had landed on it previously. However, the physical pain was nothing compared to the internal turmoil – so much so that her mind had shut out the current events in a way much similar to a post-traumatic experience. She knew what was happening- she just hadn't given any thought to those happenings yet.

_And how long do you expect to put it off? If you don't face reality now you'll face insanity later_, the back of her mind argued, unconvinced that she was making the best decision.

It was in the moment that Lucy laughed the laugh of the broken, realising how thoroughly exhausted and drained from this entire ordeal she must be to actually her talk to herself. She glanced upwards into the distance as she watched the one-winged Achnologia somehow remaine airborne in his fight against the King of Fire Dragons.

It reminded her that Igneel did in fact retrieve the Book of E.N.D. although she had no idea what the dragon planned on doing with it. After all, not even closing the damned object had returned Natsu to Natsu, leaving him cursed as a demon.

However, this didn't stop Lucy from _thinking_. In her quest to become an author, she needed ideas and plot twists and instances that defied reality with their cleverness. Therefore when she knew she wouldn't stand a chance in the current fight, she was still going to fight in a way she _could_. She would be the one find the answer they needed.

The question: How can they turn E.N.D. back to Natsu?

As she thought, she knew the immediate factor of this problem had to be the Book of E.N.D., which Igneel currently possessed. Through backwards thinking she _knew_ that that particular book would be able to reverse exactly what it had done. The matter now consisted of two newer problems.

The first was that she needed to somehow get that book from Igneel. The second is that she had to somehow figure out exactly what to _do_ with the book in order for it to reverse its effects.

Although, even though these thoughts were reassuring, she couldn't help but feel like she was still fighting tooth and nail in a hopeless battle.

_What if there is no way out? What if this can't be reversed? What if _this _is Natsu and the one we knew was a lie?_ Her head spun with doubt as she overthought the scenario like she had taught herself to – after all one had to know how to analyze critical plot-points if one were writing a book – but, after thinking too much she decided she would do what she immediately knew she could instead of stressing over _if_.

She would get the Book of E.N.D. from Igneel.

The air suddenly flared and blurred with humidity, blinding existence for a whole second. Then it repeated not only once, but twice more until she had to close her eyes from the heat.

That's when she saw Gray, kneeling on the ground with a hand clutched to his side in agony. He staggered upwards, and from Lucy's distance she saw him patch up the bloody mess with ice. She looked further towards the cause of such a wound, and managed to catch a bloodied E.N.D. However, she had a feeling none of the blood was his. Following, as if the universe felt like proving her thought, E.N.D. brought the tips of his claws to his lips. Not only did he smile, he licked the blood clean off of them as if to say that nothing would stop him.

Lucy cringed as that was the final straw that forced her gaze away, the wounds of her mind finally catching up to her. Her good hand quivered in fear and desperation, betraying the steel of her gaze. She didn't want to accept any of this. She was going to make things right. If she didn't she had feeling Natsu wouldn't be the only guild member Fairy Tail lost, and she couldn't _bear_ seeing anymore comrades hurt or stuck fighting a heartless battle.

As if the universe had once more sensed her resolve, it was that moment that a dragon's roar ripped through the air, fury and pain somehow represented in a single sound. The dragons were blurs of movement high up in the sky, consisting of bright flashes and clashes that only existed for fragments of seconds before they once again repeated.

In a blast of wind, both dragons tumbled towards the earth, locked together in a flash of fangs, claws and magic that sent debris flying. The impact was nothing short of catastrophic, the flailing forms sending tremors throughout the earth as they both righted themselves on the ground not too far a ways away from Lucy.

The dragons both stood towards each other, bloodied and beaten to a point where they both looked worse for wear. Neither dared move as their gazes locked and they analyzed each other. The air pulsed once more in the familiar feeling of heat and suddenly Lucy heard Gray scream. The scream however was not pained, but so angry to a point where Lucy would have for half a second believed that this situation wasn't as dire as it seemed – that was until the events collapsed on themselves as Lucy only had one other thought to process.

_Igneel._

The dragon had swiped his claw just as a blur of movement collided with it, tearing the limb savagely. No more than a millisecond later did the Fire Dragon's tail sent the blur flying into the distance. It took Lucy until after the attack to realize that blur had been E.N.D.

An ancient voice suddenly sounded, familiar yet not, "Wake up boy!" Sneered Igneel. The voice reverberated throughout the air, filing the atmosphere with authority.

That's when Lucy noticed that Igneel's claw that now lied on the ground was clutching something. It only took a moment for her to connect her previous memories before she had pulled herself upright from the ground.

_If I'm going to do something,_ she thought, _it's now or never._

Next thing anyone knew was that Lucy was running directly towards the Book of E.N.D.

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><p><strong>Next Chapter: NatsuE.N.D. or Gray's POV. Vote as soon as possible!**


	6. Resilience

**Another early update?! And a chapter double the normal length?! I know, I'm awesome. But seriously, I love how many people are reviewing and voting and thank you so much to all of you reading this. Reviews really inspire me to work on this and as a result you guys get an earlier update! Everyone wins! Now that that's said, I know a lot of you are going to be... well... O.o at this chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it's already a long chapter (for this story). Now, I could be wrong but from now I think there will only be a few more chapters left. Check the bottom for your voting POV's.  
>P.S. Who read the new FT Chapter 407? It was epic!<br>Pneumonia**

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><p>For a moment, as insignificant as the black-haired male before Natsu already was, an instinct took over in a complete rage as the <em>object <em>was spotted.

That's right- Natsu didn't even know what it was. He just knew that the moment the dragons collapsed from the sky, he _sensed_ it in a way so unlike anything else that a single thought enveloped him and took over him like a puppet.

_**That. Is. Mine.**_

That's when his body responded with something so _primal_ it reacted faster than even instinct or muscle memory – somehow becoming trigger for something yet to be awakened.

The thought startled Natsu. He no longer understood who he had been before _it_ appeared, the way _it_ managed to influence Natsu in a way only his own mind could. _It_ was no longer foreign, but a welcome part of Natsu that made him who his was, integrated so deeply into his being that he couldn't even imagine a life without _it_ – without the sense of feeling _complete_.

Despite this, one thing still troubled him in a way he couldn't grasp at. He _knew_ his name wasn't Natsu, it was the product of those whom had tricked and deceived him and had turned him into something _human_. It was a cruel joke that made fun of his _true_ name, as if the beings whom had _changed_ him had _any_ authority of what he should be called.

However, as demeaning as it was, the name stuck, and no matter how Natsu placed the pieces of the puzzle – naming himself anything other than Natsu triggered the last struggle of forgotten memories.

Funny how he had retained some sense of mortality when he wasn't even mortal.

As the initial daze of finally seeing the _object_ wore off, Natsu's body responded to retrieve it at any cost, even though its importance wasn't known to him. New strength flooded his already overpowered form and he had slashed the claw of the dragon in the timespan of half a blink. In the brief moment of confusion Natsu felt at the emotions this abrupt act of violence against the fire dragon brought, the dragon had responded with speed that perhaps even matched Natsu's own.

The strike Natsu received didn't register as anything more than an annoyance with a minimal amount of pain as it sent Natsu flying fast enough, that by the time he was able to regain control of his flailing form he was a fair distance away. The Etherious' wings snapped to attention and counteracted the backwards force with their own source of power and soon enough Natsu was soaring just back the way he came.

As he made his way back, words of the dragon reverberated throughout his still confused mind, bringing up a flash of even more forgotten memories with it.

"Wake up boy!"

A cord snapped throughout his mind, erupting in something angry _and _heartbroken, causing the Etherious to scream in a feral rage. Memories flashed, new and old, and suddenly Natsu _remembered_ – just a bit – of the time before the dragon Igneel had destroyed and rebuilt _his_ life on lies.

_He was standing before the behemoth of a red-scaled beast as it looked down to the puny form which he adorned then. The bright eyes of the dragon looked sympathetic and almost sorry that he had set out to destroy what looked like just a kid._

_E.N.D. was confused. His father, Zeref, had told him to explore the world, inflict fear and become even more powerful - and when the time came – destroy him. But, Zeref had also told him to make friends and to be happy, because the day would come when he would be happy no more._

_E.N.D. missed his father. Now he was lost and stuck facing a mighty dragon because of his existence. E.N.D. didn't understand why he was abandoned. Years had passed since he'd last scene Zeref, but time was insignificant, as years passed in what seemed like hours. He had been alive for decades, perhaps even centuries, but his form refused to grow and he remained feeble and scared. _

_However, we was not _nearly_ as weak as he may have seemed._

_He looked at dragon with cold, lifeless eyes of a misguided presence, while he clicked his claws in annoyance. E.N.D. didn't like killing. He loved fighting, but he never wanted fighting to stop. He hated killing his opponents because the fighting would end, and he would have to search for an opponent all over again._

_But, E.N.D. knew this dragon wouldn't be an opponent who fought for thrill. The red-scaled beast would make this quick, and the only way this fight would end was quickly with one of them dead._

_E.N.D. twitched his wings in what felt like impatience, but was probably closer to disappointment. He didn't want to kill. He fought because he liked to fight, but also because he was never alone. Battle was wholesome, with the way opponents could communicate in blows, and most of all – it was never _ever_ lonely._

_The dragon must have somehow sensed E.N.D.'s unease, and refrained from attacking. Slowly the ancient creature lowered its head towards E.N.D. until he was staring into one of the huge yellow orbs._

"_You need not be alone, boy."_

Natsu was young but not nearly innocent when that dragon had split himself in two, taking away the demon-part of him in a belief that he could otherwise live a normal, mortal life. Natsu had become even more foolish when he became mortal – full of awe and wonder and curiousity that maybe if things had gone differently – the fire dragon may have succeeded.

But now that the two halves were once more joined, Natsu was once again whom he was created as – the way Zeref had created him. He would not allow himself to be changed again from the way his _father_ had made him.

That's when he spotted the crying blonde girl from before making her way towards the _object_. She was going to take it from him. He wouldn't let that happen.

_**THAT. IS. MINE.**_

Another burst from his powerful wings doubled his speed, making the timespan before he would reach the girl no more than a second. She would _not_ take what was his. The millisecond his claws brushed the edges of the blonde's hair – prepared to kill her – a force of _cold_ enveloped him and he was sent flying once more.

Natsu recognized the feel of the magic from the pittance of a being he was fighting before. In his haste to retrieve what was _his_ he had allowed himself to be hit by such a _pest_. How dare that _mortal _interfere? Hadn't he stated that this _nuisance_ was at his mercy? Didn't this _human_ wish to live? No matter – Natsu would extinguish him in a heartbeat as too much time had already been wasted on toying with him.

_**You will **_**not**_** inhibit me any longer.**_

The speed at which he was sent was nothing compared to the dragon's attack and Natsu counteracted it with no more than a sigh. This mortal was nowhere _near_ his level and it was a miracle he had survived this long anyway.

As if this mortal wished to annoy Natsu even further, the black-haired human stood directly in front of the blonde-haired girl, _protecting _her from Natsu. At least, that's what the opposing male wanted to think he was doing. Natsu almost scoffed at the display.

_**No one can stop me. I. Am. E.N.D.**_

A sharp pain pierced his mind briefly, as it always did as he referred to himself by his _true _name. The memories of mortality he had forgotten somehow still lingered in a sheltered place in the back of his mind, and were desperately trying to resurface and reclaim a mental disposition that no longer existed.

Natsu narrowed his eyes in aggravation towards the male in front of him. He assumed this male had something to do with it, as well as that blonde girl. Most of all- the King of the Fire Dragons- Igneel, would _pay_ for what he did, and the only currency Natsu would accept was _blood. _

Even though the mortal was practically swaying on his feet, his eyes betrayed no fear and emanated only the force of will he possessed.

Natsu didn't understand. He had _toyed_ with the life of the male in front of him, had _amused_ himself with the human's blood. How did the man still manage to emit an aura of _strength_ – of _confidence_? There was _no_ possible way the ice-wielder stood a _chance_ at defeating him and yet those _eyes_ defied even logic.

A pain pierced Natsu's mind again, but before he was assaulted from memories once more, he attacked. He sent a kick into the mortal's pathetic block, the raw power from the blow cracking the ground underneath them as the male attempted to hold his ground.

For a moment Natsu thought the male would actually succeed in his effort, but the thought was extinguished as suddenly Natsu's foot broke through, sending the mortal flying sideways with what was probably a broken arm.

Fed up with this pointless battle, Natsu didn't give the ice-mage any time to recover as his wings propelled with blurring speed. He appeared in front of the male as he soared uncontrollably through the air from the Etherious' previous attack. Sighing, Natsu gripped the mortal's head and slammed it towards the ground and abruptly ceasing all movement. The ground split under the impact.

Natsu jumped into the air about ten feet above where the male now lied motionless. Glancing no more than a second at the lifeless form he turned once more towards the blonde.

_**You're next.**_

Natsu was now thoroughly convinced that the memories that tried to take hold of him would disappear as soon as the humans and the dragon were eliminated. A hand took hold of his foot right then, effectively surprising Natsu past the point annoyance. He looked downward to the bloodied ice-wielder as he pulled his body from the rubble.

Natsu thoroughly thought now that this male did indeed have a death wish, as his wracking frame coughed up saliva coated blood. Blood dripped across the mortal's face from behind hairline, soaking both eyes in the fluid. One of his eyes was shut and blackened as even more blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. His remaining clothes were torn and one arm was useless and limp.

Despite all this, the steel never left the male's eyes as his mouth quirked into a solemn smile. The good hand that the mortal held Natsu's foot with let go as the male spoke for what was the first time.

"You aren't going anywhere. Not even over my dead body."

Natsu's anger boiled at the tone he was addressed with. This mortal was a _pittance _in comparison to him, and yet here he stood _demanding_ him like he had authority to even _speak_ to him.

Natsu dropped downwards sharply, creating a small tremor as he forced strength into his legs. He lunged with _murder_ in his eyes, prepared to decapitate the male and hold his head as a trophy.

In the back of his mind Natsu knew he didn't want it to come to this. He had wanted to leave the male broken but breathing, for some pathetic reason Natsu couldn't even remember. That all vanished in a moment as something _snapped_ inside him, and like a pop Natsu felt another memory cease resisting at the back of his mind.

A flash erupted behind his eyes, and suddenly he knew the male's name was Gray, although he knew nothing more and felt absolutely nothing at all. Natsu grinned cruelly. He was going to leave _Gray_ in _pieces_ when he was finished with him.

Prepared to try something unorthodox, Natsu spun at last moment before his talons would collide with Gray's neck, and swiped his wing from the side instead. What Gray probably didn't know was that like Natsu's talons, the edges of his wings were _razor _sharp. With a quarter of a spilt second for Gray to react, he managed to shift away ever so slightly that the wing didn't decapitate him. Despite that, a stream of blood exploded from his collarbone.

Natsu was surprised at Gray's reaction speed, but that didn't halt his assault in the least. He had _two_ wings. The other wing slit another gash, this time horizontally across Gray's chest. He gasped in in pain and Natsu flashed his canines in amusement.

A second later the blood was stopped with ice and Gray lashed out for another attack. Natsu felt the hand grab his wing as it was immediately covered in ice. For a second he was unbalanced, and Gray managed to send an ice-coated fist directly into Natsu's face.

Natsu felt the frost explode around him as it had earlier with this exact same attack, and was prepared to counter it. Instantaneously, his entire body burst into flames and counteracted the pulse of ice-magic.

Gray's arm whipped back in what Natsu assumed was pain. The ice on his wing immediately steamed into nothingness and he was left as good as new. He was about to laugh until he felt a wetness drip from his nose and into his mouth.

_**Blood. HIS BLOOD.**_

He snarled his displeasure as he tasted the coppery liquid. A shiver wracked his frame in uncontrolled wrath. This _mortal_ had pushed him too far, wasted too much of his time, and now – _now _Gray made him _bleed._

A feral instinct possessed Natsu's form, blurring his vision and causing him to see red. Gray didn't have time to scream as a clawed hand gripped his neck and _squeezed. _Natsu's claws dug into the flesh and felt the blood spill across his fingers.

Gray stared in horror at Natsu while he flashed his bloody canines in an animalistic snarl.

"_**I win."**_

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><p><strong>Next Chapter POV: Lucy or Gray (Depending on whose you pick this fic is either extended or shortened by a chapter)<strong>


	7. Dubiety

**I'm rocking these early updates because I'm so excited over this story! However, sadly this story is coming to a close, perhaps with 1- maybe 2 more chapters. However, I would like to remind everyone that I take requests for oneshots if you'd care to PM me. (If you don't have an account a review is fine) The next chapter should be longer then this (this is the normal length) although I don't know if it'll be as long as the previous one. I should be updating soon, however the latest it would come out is Nov 17th.  
>Pneumonia<strong>

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><p>Lucy was on autopilot. Her directions: retrieve the book of E.N.D.<p>

That's why in her mad dash she barely processed the inhumane cry that sounded through the air. The moment she finally caught up with time was the one where she felt the brush of claws against her neck.

The movement ruffled her hair and she gasped while stumbling forwards in shock, just as a chill enveloped her and the presence behind her was whisked away with the bitter cold. From her position on the ground, she saw Gray now standing in front of her, _protecting_ her, when her eyes fell on the being he was opposing.

There stood E.N.D., his black wings fanning out behind him in a regal sort of way. This along with the obsidian horns protruding from his head represented the terrible power he now held. She gulped as the realization of the past few seconds struck her.

E.N.D. had attacked her. He would have killed her without a second thought if it weren't for Gray. She subconsciously reached towards the back of her neck, placing her fingers across the ghost of the claws that had nearly beheaded her. She pulled away sharply as she sensed a dull sting and noticed the slight staining of crimson.

Another second and Mard Geer wouldn't have been the only headless corpse due to E.N.D.

Lucy trembled from the fear and shock that took hold of her. Despite that, she steeled her mind and _stood back up_, prepared to make sure she saw her plan through until the end- because _she_ would fix this. She watched E.N.D. and Gray for a moment, admiring the way their forms faced each other fearlessly and firm, both of them prepared to fight through hell and back in order to _win_, no matter the odds. However, Lucy knew that the odds were not in her favour, as she _felt_ that if the two of them keep fighting like they were – that only one of them would make it out alive.

The thought spurred her on even more, and she once more raced towards the abandoned claw Igneel lost defending himself from E.N.D. Said dragons were once more rejuvenated and attacking each other relentlessly. They alternated between the earth and air, neither of them – respectively –capable of maintaining either for long periods of time. Even in their weakened states, they fought with the world spectating in awe at their phenomenon.

_Phenomenon_, Lucy thought, _describes this situation pretty damn well._

She glanced once more towards the Etherious and Devil Slayer alike, surveying their battle with eyes untrained to follow such power. She watched as suddenly said slayer in question was sent flying sideways, propelled from an attack Lucy didn't even process. A blink later E.N.D. appeared next to the soaring Gray, and shoved his head into the ground.

Lucy gasped in shock. Things were not going well. She could only hope Gray was okay while she forced herself to look away. She was now directly in front of the detached limb of the dragon, the Book of E.N.D. clutched within its depths. She pried the talons open with all the strength she could muster, and after a minute of struggle her fingers brushed the spine of the dreaded book.

The book sent out a wave of displeasure – if that was even possible – once it was settled in Lucy's grasp. Her senses tingled with the book in hand, and as if ignoring all her other thoughts, the urge to _look behind her_ immediately erupted.

Lucy spun herself around with no more than that, trusting her gut-feeling – or maybe it was the Book of E.N.D. – although what she saw couldn't be described as anything but _terrifying_.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from Gray, as he was suspended _by the neck_ in the iron-grip of the friend-turned-demon. Blood soaked from underneath E.N.D.'s hand, dripping onto the earth below. The Ice-Devil Slayer tore guilelessly in an attempt to free himself to no avail. In response, E.N.D. simply _squeezed_.

Lucy couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She couldn't even stand as she collapsed to her knees, watching as Gray struggled fruitlessly against what could likely be his undoing. Slowly, almost impulsively, Lucy's gaze drifted towards the book she now held.

_Was there a way… could this book do something?_ Lucy thought frantically, _What do I do?_

Without breathing, without thinking, without formulating any sort of comprehensible plan or any outcome other than the one that was _possible_ – she screamed.

The blood-curling sound tore through her own eardrums, as the name ripped apart her voice in a vain attempt to _stop_ the inevitable.

"_NATSU!_"

Time froze. Lucy kneeled there, throat torn and lips bloodied, praying to any God out there that Gray would _live_. She didn't care what happened to her but she didn't want to see a friend die – especially not by the hand of a friend who just didn't know it.

She almost cried in relief when the Etherious released his grip on Gray, the ice-wielder falling like a ton of bricks to the ground, gasping and coughing up blood.

Her relief was short-lived however as E.N.D. disappeared and reappeared in front of her during the time of a split-second. A scorching mass of air erupted his form, sending a heat wave directly towards her. She cringed but didn't back away as she stared up at his form from her vulnerable kneeling one.

He smiled to her then, making Lucy realise how much she _loved_ that smile on Natsu, but _hated_ it on E.N.D. He tore up the heat-warming gesture into something terrible and _scary_ – effectively inflicting its job on Lucy. It took all her willpower not to recoil from the motion and forced herself to stare into the demon's eyes.

She didn't even have time to flinch as suddenly his bloodied hand gently caressed her cheek, trailing Gray's blood over her face. Just when she thought he wasn't going to hurt her, the talons dug into her cheek, prying the skin apart and tearing the flesh. She cried out hoarsely with the remainder of her shredded voice as she instinctively dropped the Book of E.N.D.

A soft voice encompassed her senses, dulling the pain whilst somehow soothing her worst fears. She didn't know if she simply imagined it, but all the same she held the words like her life depended on it – which it might as well had.

"I'm sorry, Lucy."

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><p><strong>Potential Last Chapter POV: NatsuE.N.D. or Gray  
>Choose wisely ;) <span>One of them extends this fic by a chapter!<span>**


	8. Privation

**Look who's back with an update! After only 3 days! And I'm happy to say that you guys picked the route of the longer fic! That means this is NOT the last chapter, however the next one is. And if you guys are lucky and I don't loose my muse (it doesn't like to stay long) you will get an epilogue following that. Now, if anyone reading this enjoys Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I am planning on creating a multi-chapter fic for that in the upcoming weeks.  
>The premises are as follows: <strong>_Gods were immortal. Although, even immortality comes with a price. Most Gods chose worship and prayer to sustain it. However, that was not the only way._  
><strong>Enough about that, enjoy the second to last chapter- in Gray's POV!<br>Pneumonia  
>P.S. I'm sorry... please don't kill me...<strong>

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><p><em>Breathe.<em>

The thought was the only thing Gray could process as he was being strangled to death. Asphyxiation was definitely _not _the way he wanted to die. Not to mention the dull pain that he barely felt as the claws pierced the back of his neck.

He fought with all his remaining strength at the grip holding him, the effects of his struggle doing nothing in the slightest. His vision was fading, black clouding the edges as he so desperately pleaded for _air_.

_Breathe!_ His body shouted, refusing to give in to death. However, every time he attempted to gain oxygen, the grip tightened. Gray didn't know how he was still conscious enough to be thinking.

He didn't know if he even wanted to be conscious. All it did was enable him to look helplessly at his assailant, the Etherious that destroyed the memory he had of the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.

Abruptly Gray started gagging on his own blood, unknowing where it came from. He vaguely wondered which would kill him first – oxygen deprivation or being choked by the substance.

Just as he was prepared to accept his fate, knowing that he was basically already dead, and that he failed in his job of destroying E.N.D. – a name ripped through the air with the ferocity of a dragon's roar.

Gray didn't comprehend the word, he only knew that it had pained his eardrums despite the numbed effect he felt from dying. E.N.D. had loosened his grip, and Gray greedily gulped a breath of air, the blood sending copper throughout his taste buds. He almost retched in disgust before he was dropped harshly to the floor, freed from death.

He coughed up the rest of the scarlet substance, his neck aching and bleeding as he gasped for more and more of the _precious_ foundation life depended on – oxygen. He didn't know how long he laid there, bone-tired and broken from his near-death experience before he realized _E.N.D. was gone_ and that he had _failed_ everything he said he stood for.

He also realized that if the blood he was choking meant that his throat was slit- he would have eight second to live.

_**8**_

He shifted his body just in time to see Lucy cry out in the pain as the demon raked his claws against her cheek. From this distance Gray saw the Etherious grimace at the action he was causing, which was odd - considering the way he had enjoyed bloodying Gray up – and managed to catch a glimpse of the Book of E.N.D. dropping from the Celestial mage's hand.

_**7**_

Gray refocused on the former Dragon Slayer just as he reached towards the ground to retrieve the object that Gray presumed started this whole mess. All the while E.N.D. dragged his claws downwards towards Lucy's injured arm, lifting her collapsed form by the limb. She cried out once more in agony and Gray seethed with anger.

_**6**_

E.N.D. didn't grin, but _grimaced_ as he stared at her. Gray was thoroughly confused. Why would this blood-loving, battle-craving demon _grimace_ when he stared at a seemingly helpless opponent?

Gray attempted to pick himself up to go another round with the Etherious, but his body refused his command. His throat burned and stung, not to mention his gasps were still ragged and uneven, feeling as though he couldn't retrieve enough air.

_**5**_

Then, to his _utmost_ shock, Lucy _kicked _E.N.D. in the _face_, even as she dangled in his grasp.

E.N.D.'s head whipped upwards with the impact, causing him to take a step back from the force. He otherwise stood there, in what Gray guessed was complete _shock_, as the demon's grip must have loosened somewhat, seeming as Lucy wriggled from his grasp in what distraction she had caused.

_**4**_

She then followed with _another _one of her infamous kicks, directly into the Book of E.N.D.

The object flew through the air, suspended as Demon Slayer, Etherious and Celestial mage watched in surprise.

Unsurprisingly, E.N.D. was the first to recover, _snarling_ in displeasure. However, instead of lunging for the Book, as Gray thought he would, he lunged with _murder_ in his eyes towards the defenseless blonde mage.

_**3**_

Gray watched as time slowed even further, adrenaline once again giving him strength, the fluid pulsing through his veins with the rage of a storm. He watched as a drip of blood spilled from Lucy's cheek onto the ground, saw her flinch as she attempted to move away in a motion that jarred her arm. He viewed the way she favoured a single foot and how she instinctively attempted to shield herself with nothing but her whip.

_**2**_

Gray was on his feet. He didn't know when or how it occurred, but suddenly he was dashing towards them both, no plan of attack, no plan of defence, not even prepared for impact. Before he registered it, magic pooled in his hands, and he was holding a bow crafted of his own ice, and a single arrow that radiated power like no other.

_**1**_

He didn't know what he was aiming for. He just knew he was too far, that there wasn't enough time, and that he prayed as he pulled the string to let the arrow fly. He didn't know if his aim was true. He didn't know if he was off by a mile.

Hell, he didn't even know if he _shot_.

Because, that very same moment, his strength suddenly vanished, and all that was left of himself was a husk of his former self as he collapsed. The world faded from his fingertips as his vision blurred, head spun and he felt vaguely as if this would be the last time he saw the world. His only regret was that he wasn't able to fulfill his father's dying wish, the one thing he had sworn his life on.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

_**0**_

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><p><strong><span>POV: NatsuE.N.D. or Lucy? Decide for the last chapter!**


	9. Goodbye

**I'm sorry. For updating late and to most of the reactions I will recieve from the ending of this story. As for the first - I was terribly busy with school, and to make matters worse I got sick on top of that. As for the story, this is last chapter, although I will be writing a short epilogue. (By short, I mean like half the size of a regular chapter... if that.) The point of view in this chapter, or should I say _views_ involve Natsu/E.N.D. _and_ Lucy. I like you guys too much to end this off with a single point of view, so here it is.  
>Pneumonia<strong>

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><p>Lucy's heartbeat thundered in her ears.<p>

She was going to die. She was trapped in the demon's grip, feet dangling in the air as the dread of her last moments sunk in.

_Wait_, she thought in realization, _my feet are dangling…_

With a jolt she realized didn't want to die today, not when she still had a job to do. Not after everything her spirits did to get her this far. Not when _Natsu_ needed her to get him _back_.

Her last line defence was probably the most comical attack she had, although it _was_ her last resort, and she would use _anything_ in her arsenal to _live_. She would _not_ go down without a _semblance_ of a fight – she would not _give up_.

Willing the last of her imaginary strength into the momentum of one final most likely futile attack, she proceeded to "_Lucy kick"_ E.N.D. in the face.

The Etherious' head snapped upwards in response to her sucker-punch of a kick, and, unbelievably, Lucy realized she had _startled_ him. Not wanting to lose the opening she had created for herself, she responded as quickly as she could by yanking her injured arm from the Etherious' grip and landed firmly on the ground. Without stopping even to breathe, Lucy proceeded to once more kick E.N.D.

This time she went for the synonymous book.

Even more unbelievably, said object flew out of his grip and into the open air, and Lucy graced herself a smile. Just maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as she–

That was the moment E.N.D. looked at her, and just like that, she _felt_ it more than she knew, but one thing was for certain. There was _no_ way out. No matter what she did, no matter how much it was delayed – there was only one outcome to this scenario.

The one which involved her death.

There was no denying that fact as she stared into the enraged eyes of the former Dragon Slayer, whom gazed at her with the cold fury of someone who liked to do things _slowly and painfully_. Lucy gulped in terror at the thought, knowing that if he attacked her with the _true _intent to kill, there was _no_ way she was getting out of it alive.

She risked a glance at Gray in what would most likely be her last seconds – and managed to catch his eye as he was standing and bleeding, a horrible gash in his neck. Lucy knew as fear overcame her that he wasn't going to make it out of this either, not with an injury like _that_. He would be lucky to make it through the next ten seconds.

_Was the only way out by dying?_

Despair rooted herself in place. No knight in shining armour would save her the way Natsu always did. This time her knight was the dragon that was going to slay them all.

But, as the thought rang in her ears, she couldn't help but feel some sense of morbid _happiness_. It was then that she realized dragon or knight, Natsu _always_ managed to take her breath away.

That's when her body numbed, the pain of everything having become too much for her to bear. She looked into E.N.D.'s eyes, seemingly only able to be reminded of the eyes that had seen her lovingly as the orbs watched her dying form. Her end was nothing if ironic, with the way he has finished it all. She felt herself fall into death's embrace, staring up at the sky to the stars beyond. When something glinted in the corner of her fading vision, she allowed a smile to grace her lips.

With newfound hope, Lucy believed that _maybe_ there was another way out. _That's_ why she forgave him.

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><p>Natsu was <em>furious<em>.

It didn't matter that some of his old memories had resurfaced, didn't matter that a small portion of his heart was still held by those who had _changed_ him. It didn't matter that he felt a twinge of regret for hurting the blonde, or the strong feeling of despair as he watched the black-haired male struggle to breathe in the corner of his eye.

Not when the blonde had the _audacity_ to kick him in the _face_.

It was as if she wished to mock him – to defile him – with her pittance of an attack he allowed it to happen, the memories he once held so desperately trying to retake his mind in his moment of unguarded raw emotion. He felt utterly humiliated. These weaklings of humans had broken him and built him in disrepair, daring to face him as if they felt a sense of ownership towards his being.

As if he wasn't angry _enough_, the female's flailing form continued to kick the _object_ Natsu now assumed was a book of some sort. Not only did she _kick_ it, she managed to relieve it from his grip as it soared through the air.

Natsu watched the event happen for a moment in utter shock, before all his anger _erupted_ in something so predatory it couldn't even been considered human. Not that he was – anymore – anyway.

Lucy – as he now recalled the blonde's name – had managed to struggle out of his grip, half her face shinning with the blood that he coated it with. Before he had regretted tearing up her skin with his claws, remembering how in his last moments as a _human_ he had caressed that very same face with false love in his heart. He had felt fondness towards the mage, but now, all he could feel was humiliated. He internally scoffed.

_Not anymore_, he thought, _never again_.

The _wench_ stumbled in her haste to retrieve the object flying through the air, _his_ object, before a sudden feeling of _cold_ enveloped him. He allowed himself a glance towards the Demon Slayer he had thought incapacitated.

Gray – whose name now reverberated through his mind with an almost guilty pleasure – forced himself upward as his neck spilled blood. Natsu was appalled. He shouldn't be _alive_ much less moving after what he's been through.

Shaking away the thought, knowing Gray couldn't cause any damage in his current state, Natsu lunged towards Lucy. He was enraged at her for stealing a heart that was not hers in the _slightest_, and wanted nothing more than anything to show _her_, show _all of them_ their _**place**_. He was not _theirs_. He may have been _once_, but _not anymore_.

After all, _he_ was now _Master E.N.D._ – the _King of Tartarus_! _He _was Zeref's _strongest demon_, and he was nothing-_less_ than _perfect_. The fact that these _mortals_, whom tricked and deceived him, fooling the world with their _fake power,_ thought they could _best him_ **infuriated** him.

_They were nothing compared to him! __**Nothing!**_

With that, Natsu completed the movement he had begun forever and a moment before. His hand impaled itself in Lucy's upper abdomen, splattering blood over them both. The scarlet stained the air with the scent of copper, and he felt _**invigorated**_ when he removed his hand.

Lucy had stolen his heart. Natsu decided to return the favour. _Literally_.

He felt the organ pulse as he stared at her dying form, watching the colour fade from her eyes, mirroring the way a sunset bled and faded until only darkness remained. What he forgot however were the stars, as the night was never truly dark as long as the stars had a say in the matter.

Just before the stars of light left her eyes, they shinned with unshed tears as she managed to voice her dying words. It was a privilege Natsu didn't think she should have, but her statement managed to catch him so off-guard that for an eternity-filled moment the world blurred. The Celestial mage bore no ill will, her humanity displaying itself in what could only be described as the most selfless act of kindness.

"I forgive you…" She had shuttered the words out of her frame, just as her body collapsed onto the rubble that represented the countless battles all of them had faced.

Her blood stained the earth in last farewell she would give. A smile finally gripped Natsu's lips, just an overwhelming pain pierced his chest. He had believed his struggle over a moment too soon, as when he glanced downwards at his own form he couldn't have expected what he saw. What he didn't expect was to be bleeding profusely from a gaping hole in the center of his own chest.

Natsu was appalled to the point that the sight of his blood didn't anger him, in fact, he didn't even register it. The only thing he was able to comprehend was disbelief. When his motor functions restored themselves from the initial shock, he glanced upwards towards Gray who was most certainly now dead, having given the rest of his life for his last attempt to fight back.

_Fight back he did_, Natsu thought with bitterness.

The _object_ – the one Natsu had sought so dearly to retrieve and _protect_ – fell to the ground with a _thump_ that reverberated throughout Natsu's form as the Demon Slayer's arrow protruded from it.

The only magic, the only _fake_ _power_ in this world capable of destroying _him_, lay embedded in the very essence of his being. Natsu, despite this, wasn't mad. He was confused and – strangely – relieved at the sight.

The demonic side of him began to bleed away once more, and for a moment his old ignorance took hold of his mind, reminding him of the times when he was mortal, and all the happiness and hardships he faced. The dead heart fell from his grip as the _grief_ took hold, the very same grief he didn't imagine he'd feel for _slaughtering _what he now remembered were his friends.

Not just his friends – those who he remembered meant more than the world.

He dropped to his knees as this overwhelming sense overtook him, the demon part of him no longer present enough to supress the memories that had indeed changed him, although Natsu now discovered they had not _corrupted_ him in the way he initially thought. He wallowed in despair, all the while relief flowed through his as he felt pain overtake him as the Book of E.N.D. started to die, taking him with it.

_Sick masochist,_ he imagined Gray saying, if he were still alive and were able to hear his thoughts.

_Stupid Ice Princess_, he thought back at the imaginary scenario he created in his grief, losing his sanity as much as he had lost his identity.

That's when the Book of E.N.D. could no longer hold onto his being, and the Demon Slaying magic took hold and began to destroy the Book beyond that of which it could recover.

_Igneel, I can't believe you did this for me – even with everything I was. You changed me, you made me feel, gave me happiness and love. I was no longer alone._

_Thank you._ Natsu's heart pleaded to the dragon, knowing no way that as the dragons battled there was any way for him to be heard.

_Lucy…_ He thought solemnly, as he stared at the lifeless mage void of a heart taken by his hand from her body. _Lucy, how were you able to forgive such a monster? I took your life by tearing out your heart! How could I bear to love you knowing I tore you apart with my own hands?_

That's when Natsu realized demons didn't die the same as humans, being as their lives were stolen from the vilest desires of mortals, created out of the bitterness they held. But, somehow, that was okay. Natsu didn't deserve to see his friends again in the afterlife. Not when he had killed them himself.

Finally, with his pain forgotten over the amount of sorrow he caused, darkness finally began to cloud his mind. The peaceful quiet invaded his senses like a breath of fresh air. Natsu, whom had lived far longer than any of his friends, welcomed death like an old friend.

He died with a smile knowing he wouldn't harm anyone, anymore. His only regret was the lack of a final goodbye.

_**Goodbye, Fairy Tail.**_


	10. Epilogue

**I know this is incredibly early, considering I only updated the last chapter yesterday, but I'm doing so for two reasons. One is that I'm still sorry for being a day late for the previous chapter, so I wanted to make up for that with this super early one. Second, I know a lot of you do not like the ending, and are probably angry with me. This epilogue may ease your pain in some sense of the word, considering it's what you may deem "pick you own ending" if you were unhappy. However, if you enjoyed the ending, think of this epilogue as simply another part in a confusing play write's mind, and if you see fit -don't acknowledge it.  
><strong>

**Having said that, I trust that many of you are sad (or perhaps happy?) that this fic is over, but if you review (and you have an account) on your opinion on this fic as a whole, (and if your nice, on the premise of my new Percy Jackson story) I will PM you another part that could have been a separate or joined part of this epilogue. Your choice. It's nothing major, simply something detailing a question a few of you may have had about the - ha! You thought I was going to spoil ;)**

**I must regretfully say goodbye now, and I dearly hope this fic sparked your imaginations. Thank you everyone for the reviews, follows and favs. I appreciate every word spoken, and any support given.**

**I bid you adieu,  
>Pneumonia<strong>

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><p>The silence shuttered throughout the air with the intensity of a raging storm. The world became blanketed in what could be described not, but perhaps as a moment where time stopped. It was as if the primordial beings themselves faltered for an eternity in the length of a second, and the world was left to the mercy of a single being.<p>

The clouds stormed in this moment, enveloping the earth in the darkness the being himself felt in his own heart. Lightning flashed across the desolate tundra of humanity, bringing flashes of hope in what seemed like black-pit the world had become, bringing sanctuary in the seconds that past in a plain where time itself stilled.

Every soul in existence was frozen, a single moment in time where nothing could occur, everything prevented, and life reinstated in the most miraculous of ways.

In the center of such organized chaos, stood a man shrouded in the darkness of his cloak and hair, hidden from the world in all but this time span, unwilling to reveal himself to those unworthy.

Long ago, he had hoped for death, wished upon it with all his might, as to repent for the acts he committed, for the pain he brought the world upon the unleashing of his power. He had even created beings, trapped until released in order to finally kill him when the time was right.

But, he had failed.

In this time, none of his creations had been strong enough to complete his desperately sought demise, and only when a creature of such magnitude had been created he had sheltered himself in his world of endless time. For as time did not pass where he resided, the layer of reality that was bent to his will alone. From there he watched as humanity destroyed and rebuilt itself, and watched as his creations grew up with the pride only a father could feel.

But, that was until it started to _leak_.

His power – as endless as it was – did not have the strength to continuously support his self-sustaining world. Eventually it needed seconds of reprieve, gained from the ghosts of proximity humanity offered him.

This thought had disturbed him, knowing he could still harm those in his obsolete world, and wandered to where a life force was engraved in the air as much as the living creatures he could no longer be around.

He had forgotten the ways of the world, but he had retained the memory of those he created to surpass him, to kill him in the way no other being could. Clutching these whispers of hope, that these creations of his would _find_ him, he lived a life in a never-ending timespan of a single moment.

He didn't know how many centuries had passed in his world with the stillness of consciousness engraved with absolute emptiness until a presence engulfed his being like a flame been flicked on in the beauty of those whom had never seen light.

He had been so excited when this occurred, hoping it might have been time for his demise. But, alas he realized it was not, as his strongest creation had not grown powerful enough yet. Resentment clouded his being, angry for the time he had spent _waiting _knowing none could cure the wish of death he so hoped for.

Immortality was a burden he so wished to abandon, but couldn't do it himself. Terrible curse it was, forcing him to live a life not wanting to be lived.

And so, once again in the presence of life forces, his power flared, and stole whatever life it could from those around him. He had almost stolen the life of his prized creation, and for reasons he didn't understand, it _hadn't_ worked. Not that he was disappointed. It only proved that one day his demise would be brought by the innocent being in front of him, and he knew that even in this limbo of a reality he lived in there was no escape.

So, excited and angry at the world all the same, he became involved in it once more.

More time passed, and eventually he decided it was time to reveal himself to his prized creation, if only to speed up the process of the death he longed for like nothing other in this world. He had brought his creation, for only a few mortal moments into his time-stilled world, confronting him.

He had explained that there was only one way to kill him, hinted at everything he could without _revealing_ everything, because a risk of doing so might just jeopardize everything he had been waiting for, and he may end up back on square one. He also surmised that a few more weeks – even years – of waiting were worth it if what he wished for finally came to pass.

And it was much sooner than that to his utmost content. He watched, like a ghost over the plain of battle taking place. Such mortal strife's usually bothered him, but not this – this was _exhilarating_, knowing that he was _**this**_ close to the eternal rest he had wished for too long.

But, then, the pieces fell apart just as the preparations had been complete.

He had watched in horror as his prized creation fell into the depths of endless sleep he himself had wished for, and an utter rage consumed him like no other. This was not the way it was supposed to occur, this was not the way it was supposed to end!

A bitterness filled his heart, as finally he allowed himself to fully materialize in the mortal world, ready to unleash all he had to turn _back_ time in an attempt that no matter what happened – he would _**die**_.

That's why as he stared at the three corpses that lied on the blood-stricken ground, he laughed.

No one would ever know the secret involving the war with Tartarus.

No one would ever know the secret detailing the _Battle of E.N.D._

No one would know, because he was _**Zeref**_ and when he wanted something, it _always_ came to consummation.

Even if it involved rearranging the events of the _past, present _and _future._


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